Former FDC Philadelphia Correctional Officer Charged for Sexual Abuse of an Inmate

On May 1, 2025, former Federal Detention Center (FDC) Philadelphia Correctional Officer Michael Jefferson was charged with multiple counts of sexual assault for knowingly attempting to engage in sexual activity with an inmate incarcerated at FDC Philadelphia in July of 2024. Michael Jefferson was arrested on the same day his indictment was released to the public and was also suspended from his position by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). 

According to the indictment, “Jefferson willfully deprived the victim of her right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment, a right secured and protected by the Constitution and laws of the United States, which includes the right to be free from sexual abuse by a correctional officer.”

The Jacob Fuchsberg Law Firm is currently representing victim of Michael Jefferson and has investigated numerous allegations of correctional officer sexual abuse at FDC Philadelphia, as well as other BOP facilities. 

If you or a loved one has been a victim of correctional officer sexual abuse while incarcerated at FDC Philadelphia by former Correctional Officer Michal Jefferson or other FDC Philadelphia correctional officers, contact the Jacob Fuchsberg Law Firm today to discuss your rights. 

History of Sexual Abuse at FDC Philadelphia 

Located in downtown Philadelphia, FDC Philadelphia houses just under 1,000 male and female inmates. The detention center primarily holds pretrial detainees and inmates serving short sentences. 

Unfortunately, FDC Philadelphia has a noteworthy history of correctional officer sexual assault over the last twenty years, including multiple correctional officers who have been indicted for engaging in sexual acts with inmates or other prohibited behavior: 

• In 2005, a Senior Officer Specialist was indicted for engaging in a sexual act with an inmate incarcerated at FDC Philadelphia. Similarly, in 2008, a different Senior Officer Specialist was indicted on the same charge. 
• In 2009, former FDC Philadelphia correctional officer Theodore E. Woodson pled guilty to sexually abusing three incarcerated women following an administrative investigation and criminal proceeding. Notably, an inmate reported Officer Woodson to the facility for inappropriate sexual conduct with an inmate one month before he raped a separate inmate. Due to FDC Philadelphia’s failure to properly investigate Officer Woodson’s behavior, he further escalated his behavior and targeted more victims. 
• In 2012, former FDC Philadelphia Correctional Officer Richard Spisak pled guilty to forcing an inmate to perform oral sex on him in 2010. 
• In 2024, former FDC Philadelphia Correctional Officer Lee Moore was sentenced for providing contraband to an inmate in 2020. 

Despite the fact that federal detention facilities are required to uphold very strict security protocols, including constant video surveillance and rules that explicitly prohibit staff from being alone with an inmate, some correctional officers flagrantly disregard these measures in order to isolate and abuse their victims. Furthermore, lax reporting standards, blind spots within a facility, and a facility’s culture of abuse may embolden staff to sexually abuse inmates because they feel as though they will not be caught or reported for their behavior.

Sexual abuse in prison is usually not an isolated incident, and in most cases, there are rumors throughout the facility amongst staff and inmates that should have prompted prison administrators to investigate a staff member’s inappropriate conduct. 

Despite the fact that the BOP maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual abuse and sexual contact, it is evident that federal facilities throughout the country are still suffering from systematic failures that enable sexual abuse to occur in the first place. 

Lawyers Representing Victims of Correctional Officer Sexual Abuse

Federal prison and detention facilities across the country have increasingly come under scrutiny for staff-on-inmate sexual abuse, and many victims of sexual abuse have shared similar stories of their abuser engaging in sexual misconduct by exploiting blind spots within the facility or in the presence of staff who they know will not report their behavior. 

Since the Prison Rape Elimination Act’s passing in 2003, correctional officers have received training on an inmates’ right to be free from sexual abuse, dynamics of sexual abuse and sexual harassment in confinement, how to avoid inappropriate relationships with inmates, and how to comply with mandatory reporting of sexual abuse to outside authorities. 

However, even though correctional officers receive training, if these standards are not properly enforced by all prison staff, inmates will wrongfully be put at risk of sexual assault and may not feel comfortable reporting their abuser to the facility staff. 

If you or a loved one have been sexually assaulted while incarcerated in a federal detention facility, speak with an experienced prison sexual abuse lawyer today to protect your rights. 

Led by Partner Jaehyun Oh, the Civil Rights Team at the Jacob Fuchsberg Law Firm has experience representing victims of correctional officer abuse, and we can help you come forward and seek justice against the facility responsible for your abuse. 

We can help when the unimaginable happens.